This invention relates to a system and method for collating sheets, each bearing an account number.
Business cheques, after clearing, are typically returned to the business with a copy of an account statement providing a summary of the cheques. This summary includes the account number on which the cheques were written and the number of cheques included with the statement.
Currently, used cheques are typically pre-sorted by company then manually associated with the proper account statement and inserted in an envelope.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,359 to Luperti, bank cheques belonging to a cheque batch are fed, counted and stacked while the associated statement is fed to an imaging station. At the imaging station, a number representing the number of cheques summarised on the statement is imaged and displayed. An operator makes a visual comparison of the displayed imaged number and the number of cheques actually counted. If these numbers match, the operator initiates a cycle whereby the statement and cheques are collated.
There remains a need for an automated system for accurately collating cheques and other negotiable instruments with statements.
A system for collating cheques (or other sheets bearing an account number), feeds cheques in a batch of cheques so that the batch is synchronised with a conveyed associated document (e.g., account statement). The system reads the account number of each cheque in the batch and counts the number in the batch. This is compared with corresponding information on the associated document. On a mis-match, action is taken (e.g., an alarm is raised, for example a signal is given to a parent machine).
According to the invention, there is provided a system for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: a feeder for singly feeding sheets; a detector for detecting fed sheets; a reader for reading an account number on said fed sheets; an accumulator downstream of said feeder for accumulating sheets into a stack and for conveying each accumulated stack downstream; a processor for: receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on indications from said detector; receiving from said reader said account number read from each sheet of said given batch; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received, account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: a feeder for singly feeding sheets; a detector and reader for detecting fed sheets and for reading an account number on said fed sheets; an accumulator downstream of said feeder for accumulating sheets into a stack and for conveying each accumulated stack downstream; a processor for: receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on indications from said detector and reader; receiving from said detector and reader said account number read from each sheet of said given batch; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for collating sheets each bearing an account number, comprising: singly feeding sheets from a stack; detecting sheets fed from said stack; reading an account number on said sheets fed from said stack; receiving an account number and batch size read from each of a plurality of documents on a document conveyor; obtaining a batch count for a given batch of sheets based on said detecting; comparing said received indication of a batch quantity read from one of said documents with said batch count obtained for said given batch; comparing said received account number read from said one of said documents with said account number read from each sheet in said given batch; and acting based on each said comparing.